Adjustable multiple circuit control switch



June 16, 1953 w. L. DIETRICH 2,642,503

ADJUSTABLE MULTIPLE CIRCUIT .CONTROL SWITCH Fiied Jan. 22, 1951 Patented June 16, 1953 ADJUSTABLE MULTIPLE CIRCUIT CONTROL SWITCH Walter L. Dietrich, Hartford, Cnn., assignor to The Arrow-Hart & Hegeman Electric Company, Hartford, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application January 22, 1951, Serial No. 207,207

11 Claims. 1

This invention relates to electric switches. More particularly it relates to multiple circuit control switches driven by a timing mechanism. Devices of the type to which this invention relates are now used commonly with many domestic and industrial devices which require time control of multiple circuits of which washing machines are but one example. In such switches the gear shift type of electrically-driven timing motors are used to permit the switch to reset itself instantly when the timing motor becomes deenergised, at the end of the period for which it is set to run or for some other reason. It is also necessary to be able to adjust the time when some of the contacts for certain of the circuits will be opened or closed relative to the opening and closing of other of the circuits. On some occasions diificulty has arisen in maintaining the adjustment between one or another of the sets of contacts due to the shock of the return movement when the switch resets itself.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved multiple circuit timer controlled switch which will be of sturdy construction and reliable in operation and which will maintain its setting as the device resets itself.

Another object of the invention is to provide a switch of the foregoing type having two sets of control contacts which are adjustable relative to one another.

Another object is to provide for automatic resetting and return of the two sets of contacts when the clock motor is deenergised and to in sure maintenance of their adjustment despite severe shocks or jarring incident to the automatic resetting action.

Other objects and advantages in the invention wlli become apparent as it is described with the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

Figure l is an elevational section View through a switch mechanism embodying the invention;

Figure 2 is partial bottom plan view of the spindle end and associated parts;

Figure 3 is detail view in perspective of the spring tensioning member;

Figure 4 is an exploded perspective of the friction discs;

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the spindle and sleeve, assembled, without the parts carried thereby.

Referring to the drawings, the invention is illustrated as applied to a switch wherein cams operate relatively fixed and movable contacts upon rotation of the switch operating mechanism. The fixed and movable contact elements and cams for selectively operating them are housed within a cubical container comprising a square top plate of metal H3 whose side edges are bent up at right angles to form flanges lfla. A bottom plate I2 also of sheet metal has its side edges bent down at right angles to form flanges 12a. The top and bottom plates may be spaced apart by rods l4 placed in or near the four corners of the plates. Four insulating plates are at right angles to one another and secured by screws to the flanges Ida and 12a of the top and bottom plates forming the side walls of the casing. The casing may be divided, if desired. in two compartments by placing a wall of sheet insulation IS within the housing parallel to the top and bottom plates Ii? and 12.

A switch spindle 22 extends centrally entirely through the switch housing and has its lower end extending through the bottom casing wall [2. This lower extension of the spindle has one side thereof flattened. A driving gear 30 is mounted upon the lower end of the spindle. To cause the gear and spindle to rotate as a unit, a bearing aperture is provide in said gear through which the spindle end extends; and said aperture has a solid chordal segment to cooperate with the flat side of the spindle end. The gear may be held on the end of the spindle by a spring ring and permanently afiixed, if desired, by soldering or may be secured in any other conventional and suitable manner. The gear 30 engages with and is driven by a pinion 32 of a clock motor mechanism 34 which may be secured in any suitable fashion to the lower end of the switch casmg.

The clock mechanism used is preferably of the type known as a gear shift motor which is readily available on the market. When it has deenergised, the motor of the clock mechanism is automatically disconnected by means (not visible) within the clock housing from the driving pinion 32. Hence, the pinion can turn freely.

For returning the spindle and all parts carried thereby to initial position when the clock motor is deenergised, a spiral coil spring 38 is placed around the end of the spindle between the gear 30 and the bottom wall !2 of the casing. Between the spring 38 and the bottom casing wall I2 and mounted non-rotatably upon the spindle end in a similar manner to the gear 38 is a spring tensioning member 36 which is of generally circular form and stamped from sheet metal. Extending from the periphery of member 36 and bent down at right angles to the plane thereof is a spring engaging finger 36$. Engaging with one side of said extension 369: is one end 33a of the coiled spiral spring 38. Preferably, a washer 3? is placed between the spring and the gear and mounted upon the end of the spindle in the same manner as the gear and spring tensioning member. The washer and spring tensioning member are of larger diameter than the spring and thus form a cage for confinin the spring. Struck down from the bottom plate of the switch casing is a lug 39 against which the other end 38b of the spring engages and is anchored. In order to positively stop the spindle as it returns under the force of the spring action to its original position when permitted to do so by the deenergistion of the clock motor, a stop arm 36s extends from the periphery of the spring tensioning member 36 and abuts the spring anchor lug 39.

From the foregoing, it maybe observed that when the clock motor is deenergised the spring end 38a engaging the tensioning finger 3651: will rotate the spring tensioning member 36 and the spindle on which it is fixedly mounted back towards its initial position. When that initial position is reached, the stop 36s will engage with the lug 39 on the bottom casing wall l2 so that the parts are then reset accurately in their original position. v

For operating one or more movable contacts, one or more insulating cam discs 4;!) are mounted in spaced relation fixedly upon an enlarged intermediate portion or boss 23 near the lower end of the switch spindle. This intermediate portion is preferably square in section and has its corners cut to form screw threads so that nuts 24 may be applied at the top and bottom thereof to hold the cams in fixed position thereon. One or more cams may be mounted in this way upon the boss of the spindle as occasion requires for the particular circuit to be controlled.

In order to control an additional circuit and to permit. adjustment of the opening and closing of that circuit relative to the opening and closing of the circuit or circuits controlled by the lower set of cams id, I provide a sleeve as on the upper portion of the spindle 22. The lower portion 54 of this sleeve preferably is enlarged and substantially square in section with its corners cut to form screw threads to permit nuts to be screwed thereon at the top and bottom to hold fixedly on the sleeve operating cams 42 which are spaced apart thereon. Cams 42 are thus fixedly held in the same manner as in the case of the cams 40 mounted on the switch spindle. The upper portion of the sleeve 50 extends through the top casing wall Hi with the upper end of the spindle.

In order to fixedly hold and maintain the sleeve and its cams in different positions of adjustment with relation to the spindle and its cams and to cause them all to be driven as a unit by the clock motor, I provide in the upper end of the sleeve 5!) opposite radial cuts 52 in a diameter to receive keys '62 which extend radially inwardly from the periphery of a central hole in a sheet metal disc member 50. The driving disc 60 thus rotates with the sleeve. To locate the disc 68 on the end of the sleeve, said end is reduced in diameter forming a neck 5i which passes through the disc and the disc rests against the shoulder 53 between the neck and sleeve body.

For driving the disc 6b, a disc 54 made from Bakelite or other suitable material is mounted upon and turns with the spindle 22. The upper end of the spindle is splined at 25 to receive a radially inwardly extending key 66 on the disc or dial 64. Thus disc 6 3 must turn, with the spindle 22 while the disc 50 must turn with the sleeve 50. The sleeve and the cams carried thereby can have their position adjusted relatively to the spindle and its cams by merely rotating the disc 60 when the parts are loose] j In order to secure the aforementioned parts in adjusted position, a rubber wafer or friction member. is mounted between the disc 50 and the disc 64. This rubber wafer when the discs 60and 64 are firmly pressed against it pm vents,,very effectively, all slippage or relative movement of the discs and $4 and spindle 2i! and sleeve 50. To press the discs against the rub ber wafer a knob H1 is screwed on the upper and outer end of the spindle which is screw threaded for that purpose.

In.';order, to hold the knob tightly in position relatively :to. the dial disc, a lock washer may be, if desired, placed between the dial disc and theknob. The knob 70 may be made of Bakelite or other material with an internal screw threaded metal? insert 14 mold therein. The knobs lower or inner end is flat to press on the disc 56. Thus the knob firmly holds the discs Eli and st fixedly in the position of their adjustment. In order to improvethe frictional engagement of the rubber wafer with the disc 60 the adjacent surface of that disc may be knurled or scored, as at 5i, for similar purpose and in a similar manner the adjacent surface of the dial disc may also be knurled or scored as at 55, in the molding thereof or subsequently.

I have foundthat with this means of fixing the adjustment of the sleeve and its cams rela tively to the spindle and its cams, they maintain their adjustment despite the sudden and relatively severe shock or jar that results when the parts are returned or reset to original position under action of return spring 38.

The invention may be applied to switches hav ing various forms of fixed and movable contacts and is thus not limited to any particular form and fixed movable structure. For the sake of illustration, I have shown a sensitive switch of the type illustrated and described in my co-pend ing application Serial No. 199,221, filed December 5, 1950, now Patent No. 2,608,623, issued August 26, 1952.

Many modifications within the scope of the invention will occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore I do not limit the invention to the precise form and configuration to the embodiment illustrated and described.

I claim:

1. In an electric switch, contact operating means including a spindle, contact operating means including a sleeve on the spindle, switch contact means caused to engage and disengage by rotation of the spindle, switch contact means caused to engage and disengage by rotation of the sleeve, means to adjust said spindle relative to said sleeve comprising a disc rotating with said sleeve, a disc rotating with said spindle, a frictiondisc between said sleeve disc and spindle disc, and ,means to secure said discs in tight frictional engagement to. prevent relative rotation from an adjusted position when subjected tosuddenjarring shocks following rotation, said adjusting means being operable on loosening of said. securing means.

2. In an electric switch, rotatable means, contact means, ,means moved by said rotatable means to operate said contact means, other rotatable means, other contact means, .means moved .bysaidpther rotatable means to operate said other contact means, means turning with said first rotatable means and means turning with said other rotatable means, slippage preventing means cooperatively engaging with both said turning means, and means to secure said slippage preventing. means. in cooperative engagement with both said turning means to insure maintainingthe. adjusted relation thereof when subjected to sudden jarring shocks following rotation, said two rotatable means being adjustable relatively to one another on loosening said securing means.

3. In an electric switch rotatable means, contact means, means moved by said rotatable means to operate said contact means, other rotatable means, other contact means, means moved by said other rotatable means to operate said other contact means, said two rotatable means being adjustable relatively to one another, means turning with said first rotatable means and means turning with said other rotatable means, slippage preventing means cooperatively engaging with both said turning means, and a manually engageable member on said first rotatable meanas operable to maintain said slippage preventing means in cooperative engagement with both said turning means and operable to permit rotational adjustment of said turning means with relation to one another.

4. In an electric switch, contact operating means including a spindle, a sleeve member on and adjustable relative to the spindle, switch contact means caused to engage and disengage by rotation of said sleeve member, means for adjusting said sleeve member relative to said spindle member comprising plural turnable disc members with a friction member therebetween to prevent slippage, and a manually operable member for maintaining the turnable disc members and friction member in cooperative engagement and to prevent slippage of said members from adjusted positions, said manually operable member being releasable to permit adjustment 3 of said sleeve member and spindle.

5. In an electric switch, contact operating means including a spindle, a sleeve member on and adjustable relative to the spindle, switch contact means caused to engage and disengage by rotation of said sleeve member, means for adjusting said sleeve member relative to said spindle member comprising plural turnable disc members with a friction member therebetween to prevent slippage, and a manually operable member for maintaining the turnable disc members and friction member in cooperative engagement and to prevent slippage of said members from adjusted positions, said manually operable member being releasable to permit adjustment of said sleeve member and spindle and means to return said spindle, automatically to an initial position, and stop means to limit said return motion.

6. In an electric switch, a rotary spindle, relatively movable contact means, means rotatively mounted on said spindle for operating said contact means, a member carried by and rotating with said spindle, a member carried by and retating with said contact operating means, means between said members providing friction to prevent slippage of said members from adjusted positions under shock conditions following rotation, and rigid means to press and secure said members and friction means in firm engagement.

7. In an electric switch, a rotary spindle, relatively movable contact means, means rotatively mounted on said spindle for operating said contact means, a member carried by and rotating with said spindle, a member carried by and rotating with said contact operating means,

means between said members providing friction to prevent slippage of said members from adjusted positions, and manually appliable and removable means on said spindle for holding said members and friction means in firm engagement to prevent said slippage under shock condition.

8. In an electric switch, a rotary spindle, relatively movable contact means, means rotatively mounted on said spindle for operating said contact means, a member carried by and rotating with said spindle, a member carried by and rotating with said contact operating means, a member having fiat slippage preventing surfaces between said members carried by said spindle and said rotative means, and manually operable screw-threaded means to press and hold all of said members in firm engagement.

9. In an electric switch, a rotary spindle, relatively movable contact means, means rotatively mounted on said spindle for operating said contact means, a disc on and rotating with said spindle, a disc on and rotating with said rotative means, and a disc between said aforementioned discs providing frictional slippage preventing surfaces to cause said discs to move as a unit, a screw threaded member on said spindle to press and hold said discs together to prevent slippage of said discs from adjusted position and under shock conditions.

10. In an electric switch, a spindle, a sleeve on the spindle, contact operating means carried by said spindle, contact operating means carried by the sleeve, said contact operating means being adjustable relatively to one another, means to maintain said adjustment comprising an axially movable disc keyed on said spindle, an axially movable disc keyed on said sleeve and means providing frictional surfaces between said discs preventing slippage of said discs relative to one another and a manually operable screwthreaded knob on said spindle to secure said discs against movement from adjusted position when subjected to shock.

11. In an electric switch, a spindle, a sleeve on the spindle, contact operating means carried by said spindle, contact operating means carried by the sleeve, said contact operating means being adjustable relatively to one another, means to maintain said adjustment comprising a disc on said spindle, a disc on said sleeve and means providing frictional surfaces between said discs preventing slippage of said discs relative to one another, and screw-threaded securing means having manually releasable engagement with said spindle to press and hold said discs in nonslipping relation when tightened and to permit their adjustment when released, means to return said spindle automatically to initial position, and stop means to limit said return motion, said securing means holding said adjustment upon sudden stopping of said spindle upon automatic return thereof.

WALTER. L. DIETRICH.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,622,022 Rutenber Mar. 22, 1927 1,634,083 Rutenber June 28, 1927 2,234,375 Kronmiller Mar. 11, 1941 2,389,350 Exner Nov. 20, 1945 

